THOUSANDS of students across York, North and East Yorkshire get their GCSE results on Thursday.

To mark the occasion a York teacher is encouraging students and their families to recognise the teachers that have helped them during their studies.

Beth Hartwell, is the director of initial secondary teacher training, at EborHope Teaching Schools Alliance in the city.

She is backing the Get Into Teaching campaign which aims to highlight the difference teachers make and the emotional rewards being a teacher can bring, compared to other careers.

She said: “During the school day, teaching isn’t about praise - you just do the best job you can to support your students. It’s fair to say the work we do goes far beyond that of just teaching a subject – the best teachers help to shape the lives of students, which is incredibly rewarding. After spending several years with the same group of students, you’re really invested in their work and want to see them succeed both inside and outside of the classroom.

“I remember one results day when a student came up to me to talk about how excited they were to keep learning about science beyond the GCSE course.

"The same student is now planning to study plant biology at university, an area of science which I am so passionate about.”

Roger Pope, a National Leader of Education and spokesperson for the Get Into Teaching campaign, said: “Seeing the look on their faces when they open their results brings such a sense of pride for teachers who encourage, inspire and support pupils along their own journey.

“A simple thanks might not seem like much, but it can make a world of difference to a teacher who has worked tirelessly to help students succeed. We hope this campaign will provide people with the opportunity to recall a time when a teacher inspired or supported them and say a simple thank you.

“There are no great schools without great teachers – that’s why we’re always looking for people with the passion and potential to teach”.

To help give teachers the recognition they deserve, anyone can take the time to say a quick thanks to a teacher that helped them achieved their potential, using the hashtag: #thankateacher.

Get Into Teaching aims to highlight the difference teachers make, and show prospective recruits how rewarding a career in teaching can be.

To find out how to get into teaching and apply visit: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk or call 0800 389 2500.